Season of Faith

“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”…”Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus”.- Luke 1:28 – 31.

This was the message brought by the angel Gabriel to Mary which was from God. When Mary got the message she responded saying “Let it be to me according to your word”.

In our life we come across many such occasions where there are crucial decisions to be taken, in such occasions it depends whether we depend on our knowledge or on the faith in God. Decisions taken by knowledge may benefit the immediate consequences, but decisions taken by faith have a longer impact.

Mary was aware of the consequences, if she had to go on a trail because of her decision, she would be stoned to death as per the law that was applicable at that time. However she chose to go by faith in God which was stronger and because of her faith, the fate of mankind has been changed forever.

In this season, let’s think about such opportunities that come our way and make the decisions by faith rather than considering the consequences.

Being Possitive

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.” The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?” “That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.” “For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Created to Thrive

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” – John 10:10.

So many people today are living in “survival” mode. They have a mentality that says, “If I can just make it through…” or “If I can just get by…” Of course, there are some seasons that are more difficult than others. Sometimes it’s challenging to get a vision for the future. But if you are constantly living with a survival mentality, you are missing out on God’s best. Scripture doesn’t say, “Jesus came so you could survive.” No, it says that He came to give you a full, abundant life!

If you are living in survival mode right now, I believe that today can be your turning point. If you’ll take a step of faith and begin to declare, “My days of survival are over; my days of thriving have begun,” then I believe God will meet your faith. I believe He will open an unexpected door. He’ll pour out His favor and blessing on you. He’ll make a way where there seems to be no way! Even if you’re in a tough time right now, remember tough times don’t last, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. Begin to declare what God says about your circumstances because you are created for more than to just get by — you are created to thrive.

Three Things to do Everyday

“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” – Psalms 9:10

Most times, it’s not the big events in life or the big breaks that get us where we need to be, it’s the little things, the daily disciplines that move us forward in the good things God has for us.

I believe there are three things you can do every day that can change the course of your life. Number one, expect God’s goodness. Get up every day looking for God’s favor. Number two, recognize God’s goodness. There are no coincidences, no lucky breaks. It’s all the goodness of God. And number three, always thank God for His goodness. Anytime something good happens, big or little, give God the glory. “Lord, thank You for that parking spot. Lord, thank You for that idea. Lord, thank You for sending me dew in my desert.”

If you do this, I believe and declare that you’re going to come into more of God’s goodness; that His blessings are going to come after you. God is going to open up supernatural doors. He’s going to turn negative situations around. Get ready because something good is coming your way! You’re going to fulfill your God-given destiny because He never forsakes those who seek after Him.

Try this and you would be counting the mercies of God…

No More Limits

“They turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” – Psalms 78:41

God is a god of increase. He wants to take you to new levels and higher heights. But sometimes, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and just settle for status quo. Sometimes we think, “Well, I’ve reached my limits. I’ve gone as far as I can go. This is as happy as I’ll ever be.” But if we’re going to continue to increase and really experience God’s best, we have to align our thinking with God’s thinking.

It’s interesting that in this scripture, the people limited the Holy One. Think about that. You and I can actually limit the all-powerful, Creator of the universe. How? By our thinking. What we believe either opens the door for God to move or it closes the door. God is limited in our lives by what we believe. So many people don’t even realize that it’s their own wrong thinking that keeps them in mediocrity.

Today, why don’t you take the limits off by choosing to believe God?! Feed your faith by studying His Word. Keep an open heart and mind before Him. Allow Him to work in your life and watch Him open up doors of blessing that you’ve never seen before.